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Putin has dared Western countries, including Ireland, to try and defeat his nation on the battlefield.

Ottawa (AFP) - Canada posted in May its largest trade surplus since 2008, riding a surge in oil prices as Western nations imposed energy sanctions on Russia, the government statistical agency said Thursday.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has risked escalating Western tensions with China by calling on allies to provide greater support for Taiwan so it can defend itself against any aggression from Beijing.

Russia hinted on Wednesday that it had not dropped the idea of seizing Western-owned assets and businesses in the country, as a top official sharply criticised governments that have hit Moscow with sanctions.

Russia’s war against Ukraine is pressing into its fifth month – despite several rounds of failed peace talks, and Western countries’ issuing severe economic sanctions against Russia.

The World Bank Group seeks to double its funding for education in the Western and Central African region by 2025 to accelerate the work of educational reforms, a senior official of the bank said here late Monday.

Washington (AFP) - The United States said Monday it would step up cooperation with Vietnam and Taiwan among others to combat illegal fishing, a problem that environmentalists and Western nations increasingly attribute to China.

Back-to-back world leader summits in Europe this weekend will focus on uniting Western nations behind Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion and overcoming Turkey’s opposition to NATO membership for Finland and Sweden

Between stalling Sweden and Finland’s bids for NATO membership and threatening a fresh military offensive against Kurds in northern Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to be capitalising on the world’s focus on Ukraine to strengthen Ankara’s geopolitical standing – even at the expense of NATO and Western partners.…